NOVEL NEXT The skies the limit
Alex woke up in a good mood the next day , how could he not when he was already getting close to growing larger again. The requirement to grow bigger this time was to have thirty traits or to level up traits for the equivalent of one less needed trait. With every level beyond the first as well as the number of traits he had alex merely needed eleven more traits or levels to grow again. Once he unlocked the [Armored scales] trait that number drops to ten so Alex was planning to grab another trait today as well.
The trait Alex was after today was an important one to have for the future , [Wings]. It was a well known fact that between the monsters with wings and those without them those with wings tended to be far stronger. This was for a few different reasons but the biggest in Alex's opinion was mobility. Having wings added an extra level to the directions you could move at any time and Alex would be lying if he said he didn't want to be able to fly. There is a reason little kids always seem to focus on that particular power in superhero's after all.
For Alex though it would give him the freedom he would undoubtedly need to collect even more traits safely. His idea for how to get the additional wings rather than having his front limbs become wings was to focus on that as he ate something with that type of wing. As far as reptiles went only elder dragons had this feature but Alex's system let him not need to go take a bite out of was is the equivalent to a god in this world. The work around Alex found was in the for of insects , to be specific cicadas.
Much like back on earth this world also had the loud bugs as well and just like on earth they are eaten by people thanks to their pleasant flavor and rich nutrients. This meant the stockpile always had the things in stock as they raised them in special enclosed rooms near the docks. The foreman was quite confused when Alex showed up and gestured that he wanted some of the bugs. 'Little guy's got a rather wide assortment of tastes it seems , not that it really matters anyway so long as he has me under a mountain of debt' the man though as he got a small box of the insects for Alex.
Alex happily walked off with the small chirping box in his mouth and headed up to the canteen to get the things cooked since he had been spoiled with good food. The head cook always looked forward to Alex's visits since he always found it a challenge to figure out the reach and depth of Alex's palate. For example both of them had learned that Alex could barely taste anything spicy no matter how over the top it went.
On the flip side of the scale however Alex was very sensitive to salt and sugary flavors to the point he tended to avoid fruit as a result. When the head cook saw the box in Alex's mouth he knew he was in for a bit of a challenge. The standard way to cook the insects in this world was to fry them in chili oil before dipping them in a garlic and soy sauce. However thanks to Alex's unique sense of taste the cook needed to get creative. rather than following the usual method the cook skewered the bugs before glazing them with a smoky and lightly salted bbq sauce and roasting them next to the fire slowly.
Once they were done cooking the cook removed them from the skewers and paired them with a slightly sweet melted cheese and bone marrow sauce. After trying the new dish for himself the head cook had to admit while not the usual method of preparing the things it certainly had it's own charm. Alex definitely agreed as he even made sure to carefully dip each of the crispy bugs in the cheese sauce with gusto. 'This is the closest thing to nachos i've seen in this world , i'm so damn happy' Alex thought as he devoured the food. Thankfully the trait Alex was hoping for was given to him by the system [Additional limbs: wings].
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NAME: Alex/Obsidian
TITLE: N/A
AGE: 4 weeks
Generated traits: Armored scales , Additional limbs: wings
Unlocked traits: Herbivore level 1 , Enhanced scales level 1 , Water breathing(salt) level 1 , Heat resistance level 3 ,Compact stomach level 2 , Swimming muscles level 1 , Amphibious eyes level 1 , Bone eater level 1 , poison eater level 1 , poison resistance level 1
Fused traits: Omnivore level 2
Discovered traits: Carnivore level 1 , Ridged feet level max , Weaponized tail level 1 , night vision level 1 , Sharp claws level 1 , Enhanced brain , Shadow camouflaging
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